Second Look - Boardgame reviews in depth. Check out that cat.“One dark fantasy game. 80 original visions.”

Above is the premise of SUBSTRATA, and art book put out by UDON Entertainment. While the book isn’t directly RPG related, I found it’s a great source for campaign, world, character, and weapon ideas for any dark fantasy RPG.

Over 80 creators from the world’s top video game studios came together to brainstorm the ultimate dark fantasy RPG. What they came up with is contained in the 240 pages that make up SUBSTRATA. While they may have been fleshing out ideas for a video game, there’s so much amazing work and inspiration in this book for any Dungeon/Game Master to pull ideas from. I found myself lost in the book for quite some time, thumbing through thick, glossy pages and marveling at the amazing artwork within.

SubstrataSUBSTRATA has a pretty heft price tag. It’s $44.99, and what you’re getting is purely an art book. It’s amazingly well made, though, and most RPG players are used to dishing out that kind of money for their books. Is it worth it for everyone? No. Is it worth it for those who are looking for some amazing ideas for their fantasy games? Totally.

I’m blown away by the material in this book, and I’m pretty sure most people will be too.

A copy of SUBSTRATA was provided free for review by UDON Entertainment.